Tennis classes will teach you that pregame
rituals are popular among athletes’ at all different levels. Some treat it as
superstition and refuse to do anything other than the ritual that they have
developed for themselves. When I was in high school I played with one of the
best tennis players in the country. He went on to play in college and now is a
professional tennis player, as good as he was at tennis he gives all the credit
to his pregame ritual. He would wake up in the morning and have two eggs and
five strips of bacon. He would then head to the gym to get in an upper body workout,
nothing else. For lunch, he would have two turkey sandwiches with Gatorade and
orange and a bag of chips. He would also keep a gallon of water with him at all
times during the day, drinking it to prepare for the game. For dinner, he would
have penne pasta with red sauce, salad, and a banana. He would listen to the
same five songs on rotation and get his ankles and wrists tapped the exact same
way. Then when he hit the court he was ready to perform. He still does this
ritual to this day, it might sound crazy but this is a well-curated routine
that gets him ready to perform at his best. We are going to look into the
importance of a pre-game ritual before tennis matches.
Eat Right
You might have seen all the food that the player
was eating before the games and thought it was a bit ridiculous. But after
playing the sport of tennis for a decade, this athlete had found the perfect
combination to make sure their body was ready to go. You have to fuel properly
in order to perform at anything in life. The saying “you are what you eat” is
true and you can see it during sporting events. Players who eat better and have
a full meal have more energy when it is time to play. They are ready to lay
their bodies on the line to get the victory. Players who do not eat right might
start the game off with high energy. But when the clock starts ticking and the
game is dwindling down their bodies start to deteriorate. In sports, it is not
about how you start but how you finish. You can have a fantastic start but
still, end up losing in the long run.
Prepare Mentally
Tennis is a sport that is as tough on you
physically as it is mentally. Tennis classes will always preach the importance
of being in the right mindset before you start a match. If you walk in thinking
that you are going to lose, chances are you are going to lose. You need to hype
yourself up, focus on the good that can happen and then execute. A great way to
fixate on the good is to study your opponent. In tennis classes, they will
teach you the importance of being able to break down your opponent. All of the
greats from Serena Williams to Roger Federer study their opponents intensely.
They know what their weaknesses are so that they can expose them during the
match. This way you are able to use your strengths to their best ability while
also using your opponents' weaknesses against them. When you talk to the true
greats they always mention how the game slows down for them. This might be
surprising since the ball is coming in with intense velocity and speed. But this
is because they have practiced and done their homework on their opponent. The
end result is usually a win for the tennis player who prepared mentally.
